Sandrine's

While strolling around Harvard Square on this beautiful day, we stopped at Sandrine's for lunch. I had been here before and enjoyed it so felt we should have a good lunch.

Sandrine's is a French bistro. The Chef, and co-owner, is Raymond Ost who is originally from Alsace. The restaurant is named after his daughter.

The interior of the restaurant feels cozy, intimate and a bit elegant but without any pretension. We were seated right away and when other patrons were later seated, they were no seated near us. Though obviously were trying to cater to everyone's privacy.

The lunch menu has a few appetizers, some salads, sandwiches and a few meals. Much is typical French style food. Sandwiches average $11, and Entrees about $15. Prices are generally reasonable.

While we waited for our meals, we received a basket of hot baguette slices, an excellent bread with a crusty exterior and soft interior. They did bring us additional bread later on as well. A nice start.

We had fresh brewed ice tea and coffee to drink. Both were very good.

We began the meal with a half order of Escargot (snails), baked in a herb and garlic butter sauce ($10). These came out very hot and were tender and delicious. And once you ate the snails, the dish had little indentations with the garlic butter sauce. Perfect for dipping your bread.

For my main dish, I had the Sirloin beef burger with pomme frites $8, with swiss cheese ($2 extra) and bacon ($3 extra.) The burger is reasonable though the extras seem a bit pricey. The burger was delicious, thick and juicy. It came on a soft brioche roll. The fries were shoe strings with a light coating and were tasty. I split my meal with my wife who ordered the Croque Monsieur ($9) which also comes with pomme frites. This is a baked ham and cheese sandwich which was very good. Excellent bread, lots of cheese and good ham. My mother had the same sandwich and enjoyed it very much too. For my nephew, they made him a special order, essentially a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich on a brioche which he liked.

We passed on dessert as we knew we would be hitting some bakeries later.

Service was excellent. Our waitress was prompt, courteous and attentive. And the rest of the staff was very good too.

There are a couple of new French bistros in the area now, but Sandrine's should definitely be considered as an option if you seek a French bistro. The food and service are very good. It has a nice ambiance and plenty of menu options. Prices are generally reasonable. Give them a try!

Sandrine's
8 Holyoke St.
Cambridge, MA
Phone: 617-947-5300